Kahne holds on to get his first win at Bristol

Sunday

Mar 17, 2013 at 5:02 PM

By DEAN HENSLEYTimes-News Staff Writer

BRISTOL, Tenn. — After a back-and-forth battle in the closing laps with Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, two drivers who've tasted victory several times at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne finally got his first taste Sunday by holding on to win the Food City 500.

"This has been a tough place to race, and a tough track for me at times," Kahne, who had been winless in his past 18 visits to Bristol, said. "This was a big win for us. I love racing for Hendrick Motorports. Those guys do such a great job. The car was flawless and the race was flawless for this team."

The win was even more special for a member of his crew.

"Our truck driver lost his dad last night, so this win is dedicated to him," Kahne said.

In the closing laps, Keselowski, who had won two of his last three races at Bristol, had the lead with Kahne closing in fast.

After several laps of blocking Kahne on the top, Keselowski finally surrendered the lead with 39 laps to go. Kahne pulled away down the stretch, and Busch ended up passing Keselowski in the end to finish second. Former Phoenix Racing driver Kurt Busch had a strong showing for his new team, Front Row Motorsports, with a fourth-place finish, and rounding out the top five was Clint Bowyer.

As usual, the race didn't end without a fight. When Jeff Gordon took the lead on lap 324, he was being closely pursued by Joey Logano. But Denny Hamlin, Logano's former teammate, clipped the back left bumper of Logano, sending him into the wall.

Despite falling to the back of the field with damage, Logano raced his way back to the lead lap, finishing 17th. But he wasn't happy. Immediately after the race, he ran over to Hamlin's car, but pit crew members stepped in and kept the two drivers apart.

"He said he was coming for me, but I usually don't see him (during a race), so it's usually not a factor," Hamlin said.

Logano was still furious as he answered reporters' questions.

"It's really frustratin, because we had a really fast car. I feel like I always race him clean, but if that's the way he wants to race me, then that's the way I'll race him from now on," Logano said.

With 126 laps left, it looked like it was going to be a two-car battle between Gordon and Kenseth, but a blown tire changed everything.

Gordon and Kenseth were 1 and 2 when Gordon blew a tire and went into the wall right in front of a hard-charging Kenseth. Kenseth had nowhere to go and slammed into the back of Gordon, badly damaging both cars, and the top two went to the garage.

Keselowski still holds the points lead with 166, nine ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 15 ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

A.J. Allmendinger, driving for Sparanburg's Phoenix Racing, also had a strong showing with a 13th-place finish after starting in 29th spot.